4063.0: Tuesday, November 14, 2000 - Board 3

Abstract #14700

Minimizing injury risk in vocational schools: safety checklists program

John Palassis, CIH, CSP, CHMM and Marie Haring Sweeney, PhD. Education and Information Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Mail stop C-32, Cincinnati, OH 45226, 5135338136, jop1@cdc.gov

In the USA each year 200,000 adolescent workers suffer work-related injuries. Many States mandate that vocational schools have safety and health programs in place, conduct hazard analysis for each vocational technical program, do safety inspections and maintenance, comply with safety and health and environmental regulations. To address these needs, NIOSH has taken a leading role to reduce injury risk by increasing safety and health awareness and safety education of vocational school teachers and administrators. NIOSH in conjunction with Environmental Occupational Health Sciences Institute developed an occupational and environmental safety checklists program. This program contains instructions for administrators, supervisors and teachers on how to implement and maintain an occupational safety and health and environmental program within the school. It comprises of 80 safety checklists that cover occupational and environmental hazards found at schools and especially in the shops/labs. The program helps the school prepare for and participate in OSHA and EPA compliance inspections. It can be utilized by the teachers and students to help them learn about government regulations pertinent to their shop/lab. It enables the administrators, supervisors, teachers, and even the students to use the checklists to identify occupational safety & health and environmental areas that need improvement. The program provides technical assistance, resources, and guidance to ensure that the school is in compliance with occupational safety and health and environmental regulations. NIOSH anticipates to adapt the safety checklist program for small businesses to increase their occupational safety and health awareness and reduce the risk of injuries.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to recognize occupational hazards associated with vocational and technical schools, how to develop a safety program and determine the use of safety checklists to minimize injury risk

Keywords: Youth, Screening

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

The 128th Annual Meeting of APHA